CHAPTER 29: IT’S HAILIE

My jaws dropped not because Hailie was a fat middle aged man, or because my perception of her was different. No, she was the same woman as the Darkmoon Adventure VR’s avatar, the same woman I saw on that birthday party photo that I masturbated to with a dildo.

She was radiant, even in a simple white summer dress with blue lace frills, she looked like a doll sculpted out of porcelain, the sunlight from the hallway window catching in her soft snowy white hair.

I was in a daze, like that one Bruce Wayne lego meme, I can hear love music in the air, maybe Put Your Head On My Shoulder

One thing that absolutely fucked with my perception of Hailie Sonder, one thing that made me freeze was the sight of her being pushed gently forward by a male servant, her slim figure slouched slightly in a custom, light-framed wheelchair.

Her bare legs were unmoving, wrapped in a warm blanket, and rested gently on the footplates. Her left hand held a small, elegantly decorated bottle, while the other gripped her chair’s armrest tightly. She smiled like it was just another Tuesday, like the world didn’t just tilt 90 degrees for me.

It snapped.

Oh my fucking god.

She’s a paraplegic.

Memories started flooding into my brain like cum.

The Ranger class? Little to no public appearances? Zero survival instinct and social awareness? Yapping about how she was a free spirit that can sprint and run?

Oh my fucking god...

Jesus Mary Christ.

She was using VR as therapy.

"Hailie..." I managed to say, but it came out quiet and cracked, before glancing at Eirlys.

"Hi Cory!" Hailie gave us a toothy grin from ear to ear, lifting the perfume bottle at the both of us.

"I made this myself! I used the spring lilacs from our greenhouse this time, and a bit of sandalwood that Syndra gave us the other week!"

The servant let go of the wheelchair, letting Hailie push herself forward with slow, practiced motion. The wheels glided almost silently across the marble floor, the soft squeak of rubber underscoring her approach. She looked up at Eirlys like the sun had entered the hallway, "For you, Eirlys!" She said with audible giggling.

I stared at the two of them, two sisters that seemed to be around 5 years apart, long, lustrous and white hair that extended past their back, but Eirlys’ hair was smooth while Hailie’s was more curly, bouncing ever so slightly with each push of her chair.

As Eirlys received the bottle, something rare happened. her expression softened beyond her usual icy elegance, she curled her lips with a true smile that narrowed her eyes, I blankly gazed upon the two beautiful women as their hands touched, and the older one leaned down to gave her wheelchair-bound little sister a kiss on the forehead.

They both giggled, and it was this soft kind of laughter that didn’t quite echo through the vast hallway, it simply filled the space, making it warm.

"Oh my, I almost forgot!" Hailie added, looking up, "Papa just called! Asking about the New Year’s Gala, are you going to bring a plus one this year? Maybe from work?"

Eirlys raised a brow. "No. Why would I?"

"Maybe Dandre?"

"He’s off to the Caribbeans."

"Oh, hmm..."

......

They talked about rich people stuff, and I just stood there like a houseplant someone forgot to water. Not even a succulent. The kind of decorative fern that flattens over time and dies dramatically in a corner of an overly lit room.

I glanced my eyes around awkwardly, trying not to think about how out–of-place I was.

The chandeliers above gleamed like crystallized frost, and every inch of the floor beneath me was so clean I could probably see up my own nose if I looked down. Everything smelled like a polished blend of lemon oil and silk, which I’m not even sure is a real scent, but it fit. My hoodie had a ketchup stain on the sleeve from three days ago and I was painfully aware of the way my footsteps scuffed across the perfection.

"And thank you, Hailie, I’ll make sure to use this."

Though, through my observation and experience in the field, I have came to a very conclusive evident that couldn’t be denied.

"Eirlys’ boobs are bigger than Hailie..." I whispered, turning away just to make sure that no one heard that.

Hailie then turned to me, her eyes sparkled, but her fingers twitched, a subtle tremor were visible to the eye. Was she nervous of having an online friend sleepover? Especially one that was stinky as heck while wearing a hoodie with sweatpants among fancy dresses and suits? Maybe.

I couldn’t begin to guess what it was like to reveal this part of yourself to someone new, she never mentioned to me that she was a immobile from the waist down, so she probably didn’t want to tell anyone that... Perhaps from self-consciousness. Maybe she feared pity more than pain.

Wait, maybe she did tell me? Back in the Poison Dragon’s cave... When I killed her during her long and unnecessary monologue? Oh lord, that would be embarrasing if she told me she was wheelchair-bound and I just ignored it.

"Oh, um... I would prepared a gift if I knew you were coming over..." she said, voice light and airy, like she was still catching her breath after a dream. "You are so cute, even more than your gaming avatar, Cory!~"

A girl just compliment me, which flustered me in ways unimaginable. I know how a normal person would and should react when being called cute, they would wave it off and say "No way, I’m just average," or a high EQ person would say "Thank you, I’m flattered" or some cringey shit.

I could’ve went eitherway, but I just showed my dirty teeth as I grinned like a serial killer at her.

The truth is, I’m fucking sad.

I’m disappointed in myself, I feel like an absolute asshole.

The fact that I’ve been pseudo-cyberbullying a disabled girl online hit me harder than it should’ve.

My gut churned as I recalled all those moments in-game where I complained about her logging off. My grip tightened on the keycard I was still holding as I also clenched my teeth and toes.

I made so many assumptions, Ireated her like she was just a stupid kid who didn’t respect me, hiding behind excuses of strict parental contrl and a locked screen timer, maybe that was still true, but there was so much more underneath that, I never thought to ask about her life.

Standing there, under that golden hallway light between the two sisters, I realized something horrifying: I never deserved her kindness.

Lowkey... I still want to see how our manipulative-esque relationship goes and if I can get her to unstrip (ingame).... But at least, for the moment, this one second, I was feeling horrible.

She smiled again, shy and a little crooked. "Do you want to have lunch with me? Then we can get online tonight before my lever harp class! Maybe I’ll ask to have more free time so we can play together for longer? Let’s finish the Cleric quest and then we can fight bad guys together!"

There it was, that bright, genuine Hailie-ness that couldn’t be replicated or faked. She had the kind of glow, kindness, and genuine idiocracy that people tried to put into their online characters.

Still, again, I must repeat my greatest sin...

My dirty and crooked mind betrayed me.

As my heart melted, the intrusive thots of me also screamed at the fact that I was moving into a GL-setting mansion with a noble ojou-sama and her adorable wheelchair-bound little sister who is stupidly unaware of the real world?

I think this calls for another masturbation session...

But, both my dildos are...

Fuck-

I hope the movers won’t question me.

No, stop this is not a yuri AO3 fanfic. Stop it! No threesome, no incest, no voyeurism, no faceslapping tag here, you stop it right here, Cory Jay Smith!

"You okay?" Hailie asked, tilting her head, a bit afraid, "Did I say something?"

"I, huh? Ah yeah." I nodded quickly, snapping out of it. "Just... still processing, but yeah, that sounds nice, we can play together."

And at that exact moment, I thought about the greatest last line of a book that was written by the author that I loved.

"We can watch this sunset for eternity." I muttered.

"YAYYYYYYYY!"

Hailie’s bright cyan eyes blew up with fireworks when she reached both arms out, trying to hug me. But then she realized I was just barely out of reach, and she could not hug me properly, so I scoot in justttt a tiny bit in return and awkwardly hugged the daughter of the richest company in the country around her neck while she leaned her head around my flat chest.

What the fuck have my life evolved to?

I was still very self-conscious about the smell, by the way... Considering that I don’t remember washing myself or this hoodie.